Evaluation of drinking water treatment and quality in Takua Pa, Thailand

After 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, which hit and devastated several Countries in Southeast Asia, University of Brescia and Mahidol University started a project on water monitoring and treatment for drinking purposes in Takua Pa district (Thailand), the most damaged by the tsunami. In particular, this paper presents the results of a study conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Takua Pa drinking water treatment plant and to identify actions that could be adopted to improve its performances. The results show that, even if the effluent usually meets Thai guide values, except for pH which is already too acid in the influent, the plant needs several structural and managerial improvements, such as filtration and sedimentation upgrade, coagulation/flocculation and final disinfection re-organization, use of proper registers to better plan and control employees activities. Moreover, it was determined that water quality in the distribution network is characterized by turbidity and organic matter values higher than those evaluated in the plant effluent.     

Use of sulfadimethoxine in intensive calf farming: evaluation of transfer to stable manure and soil

After prophylactic treatment of 50 calves with 62mgkg(-1)day(-1) of sulfadimethoxine (SDM) for five days, the levels of the drug over time were followed in feces, bedding and stable manure, and then in the soil of a manured field and surrounding drainage courses. Analysis were done by HPLC after applying to the different matrices a quick and simple extraction procedure. The half-life of the drug in bedding was very short (24h). In stable manure the degradation rate of the drug slowed down and the calculated half-life was 64 days, with 390microgkg(-1) of SDM still detectable after three months maturation. However, in a five months matured stable manure obtained from other groups of calves subjected to the same prophylactic treatment, levels of SDM were <50muicrokg(-1) (LOD of the analytical method). After field fertilization with this manure, no traces of SDM were found in soil (LOD 10microgkg(-1)) or in the water (LOD 2microgl(-1)) from the surrounding drainage courses. Using the internationally recognised DAPHTOXKIT-Ftrade mark, a SDM toxicity test toward Daphnia magna was performed in the range 10-100mgl(-1). The test gave negative results both after 24 and 48h, confirming that microcrustaceans are less sensitive than other models to the toxicity of antibacterials. However, based on data from other authors, concerning algal toxicity and microbial inhibition, and on the analytical results from the current field study, the calculated worst-case EC50/PEC ratio for SDM both in freshwater and in soil was still >1000.     

Assessing differences in chemical disaster proneness: The community chemical hazard vulnerability inventory*

The burgeoning number of accidents with dangerous chemicals makes it incumbent upon community and regional planners to systematically deal with this problem. The first step invariably involves the assessment of the likelihood and type of incident which may impact a given area so that disasters may be averted or, at least, their effects mitigated. This paper presents one such assessment scheme, the Community Chemical Hazard Vulnerability Inventory (CCHVI). This instrument, aside from considering the type and volume of substances posing a threat to a designated area, considers the physical and human resources available, as well as the general state of readiness of the area (including such things as the interface of emergency-related organizations). The use of such vulnerability assessment instruments allows local emergency planners to identify particular dangers within their communities and permits regional planners to allocate funds for planning according to relative needs.     

Introduction to the Issue

We are pleased to introduce this second issue of the Reviewof Environmental Economics and Policy. Like every issue, thisone includes several articles, a focused symposium, and a setof regular features. In the first of three articles, John Graham describes "The EvolvingRegulatory Role of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget,"where he was the "regulatory czar" as administrator of the Officeof Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) from 2001 to 2006.In his essay, Graham responds to the perception of OMB as antiregulatoryby describing the history of OIRA's proactive     

All-in-one whole exome sequencing strategy with simultaneous copy number variant,single nucleotide variant and absence-of-heterozygosity analysis in fetuses with structural ultrasound anomalies: A 1-year experience

Objective

We performed a 1-year evaluation of a novel strategy of simultaneously analyzing single nucleotide variants (SNVs), copy number variants (CNVs) and copy-number-neutral Absence-of-Heterozygosity from Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) data for prenatal diagnosis of fetuses with ultrasound (US) anomalies and a non-causative QF-PCR result.

Methods

After invasive diagnostics, whole exome parent-offspring trio-sequencing with exome-wide CNV analysis was performed in pregnancies with fetal US anomalies and a non-causative QF-PCR result (WES-CNV). On request, additional SNV-analysis, restricted to (the) requested gene panel(s) only (with the option of whole exome SNV-analysis afterward) was performed simultaneously (WES-CNV/SNV) or as rapid SNV-re-analysis, following a normal CNV analysis.

Results

In total, 415 prenatal samples were included. Following a non-causative QF-PCR result, WES-CNV analysis was initially requested for 74.3% of the chorionic villus (CV) samples and 45% of the amniotic fluid (AF) samples. In case WES-CNV analysis did not reveal a causative aberration, SNV-re-analysis was requested in 41.7% of the CV samples and 17.5% of the AF samples. All initial analyses could be finished within 2 weeks after sampling. For SNV-re-analysis during pregnancy, turn-around-times (TATs) varied between one and 8 days.

Conclusion

We show a highly efficient all-in-one WES-based strategy, with short TATs, and the option of rapid SNV-re-analysis after a normal CNV result.     

Modeling the Landscape Drivers of Fire Recurrence in Sardinia (Italy)

Although recurrent fire events with very short return periods have the most dangerous effects on landscape degradation, only a few papers have explored the landscape ecological factors that drive the probability of fire recurrence. In this paper we apply a habitat suitability model for analyzing the spatial relationship between a selected set of landscape factors (mainly land use types) and fire recurrence in Sardinia (Italy) in the years 2005–2010. Our results point out that fire occurrence in already burned areas is lower than expected in natural and semi-natural land cover types, like forest and shrublands. To the contrary, like in all regions where human activity is the main source of fire ignitions, the probability of fire recurrence is higher at low altitudes and close to roads and to urban and agricultural land cover types, thus showing marked preference for those landscape factors denoting higher anthropogenic ignition risk.     

The use of the ecological footprint in local politics and administration: results and implications from Norway

Our experiences calculating a local ecological footprint of Oslo form the basis for a discussion of key methodological aspects supporting the use of local sustainability indicators. The footprint's strength is its ability to communicate simply the complexity of global environmental challenges. Initially developed for measuring per capita consumption at the national level, the footprint has been adopted at local and regional levels. We argue for adjustments in the footprint methodology when shifting from a national to a local policy context, to ensure the indicator's applicability in local politics and administration. First, the analysis should be limited to consumption aspects relevant to the local environmental policy agenda. Second, the analysis should integrate as much genuine local data as possible. We argue also that a standardised methodology based on the national footprint approach, with the main purpose of international benchmarking of cities, cannot but reduce the indicator's usefulness for administrative/political guidance, due to the methodology's lack of transparency and inability to identify local variations.     

Of timelines and timeliness: lessons from Typhoon Haiyan in early disaster response

Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines on 8 November 2013 with maximum sustained winds of 235 kilometres per hour, adversely affecting at least 11 million people and displacing some 673,000 in the central regions of the country. The disaster clearly overwhelmed the Philippine government despite its seemingly well‐crafted disaster management plan. Using timelines of different organisations, this paper identifies gaps in the government's response, mainly due to its failure in coordinating and managing relief operations, which adversely affected its effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of critical goods and services following the disaster. The paper also demonstrates how non‐governmental organisations (NGOs), the United Nations, foreign governments and other organisations provided assistance, mainly through aid niching, to cover the government's shortcomings. The paper recommends a paradigm shift in the government's disaster response by integrating collaborative arrangements between government agencies and NGOs, and giving local governments the lead role, with the national government as support, in disaster planning and response.